Position at the table is one of the basic rules of poker that you need to master in order to play effectively. After the seating of the players, you need to designate your own position: what is the sequence of the dealer's distribution, in what order the chip is shifted, etc.
What is poker position
There is nothing complicated in this concept. The player's position is his position behind the board in relation to the dealer's chip and opponents. If a player is in a good position, it is easier for him to navigate the game, to place bets, especially pre-flop. Players who are in early position can only raise mostly strong hands, as the rest of the poker players have said nothing about their hand strength yet. Therefore, it is almost impossible to find out which hands your opponents are using.
Accordingly, the player who took the most recent position can freely have the necessary information for further play. For example, he can open almost half of the deck, since he already knows the decisions of the other players (someone went to pass, and there were much fewer opponents). Already in this situation, the player can build a strategy, and again, his last word. For beginners, it will be good luck to take such a place.
There are two types of positions in poker:
- 9 max format;
- 6 max format.
In the first case, nine players are sitting at the board, in the second - six. These are the most popular formats in the game, although there are other options for playing with opponents.
A very important question that worries young poker players is whether the player's position can influence the strategy of the game. In fact, the question is very controversial, but, of course, every poker player who takes his place is already calculating his own strategy. It also happens during the game. After all, not only the position is of great importance, but also the psychological state of the opponents. If you scan your opponent well, your strategy can be very different.
Position types
Playing over the board requires a beginner to understand where and in what position he is now. Not only the success of the game depends on this, but also the strategy, which is developed based on the position:
- Initial position. Another name is "position at gunpoint". In this location, the poker player's game will be quite boring and straightforward, in terms of strategy;
- Middle position. Here you can play more actively, unlike the previous position, but the hands are still tied. A weak opponent for a player in middle position is a poker player in a starting position;
- Cut-off (Cut Off) position. One of the most profitable locations behind the board. The opponent that causes strong resistance is the button, since the dealer tends to put a lot of pressure on each player in an aggressive game;
- Button position. This is the strongest position in poker. Here, the player's hands are not only free. He has a say after all, so making the right choice is much easier for him than for all other players;
- Small Blind (SB). This position is the worst for a player, since he has to make a blind bet and he has no information about which hands his opponents are sitting with;
- Big Blind (BB). It is possible to cold-call here because of the high chance of taking the pot. This is the main advantage of this position.
If you are a beginner, you can safely play the button position, as you will always have the opportunity to close the trade postflop. If you are lucky enough to be in this position, your main task is to steal the blinds SB and BB. This is the position at the table and its effect on the poker game.
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